Why I Chose India?

I would like to say it was a well thought-out, meticulously planned decision, however it is more an unexplainable desire within to seek calm amongst the bustling chaos that is India. India is extreme - there are no two ways about it!

Overpopulated, poverty, pollution can send your mind into sensory overdrive, but it also has this contagious energy that continues to mystify and draw me back: a love-hate relationship that excites, frustrates, inspires and disheartens me all at the same time. It is what it must feel like being in a washing machine on a 'quick wash' cycle - being tossed around - gentle one minute and spinning out of control the next. You're fighting all these emotions at once - one moment feeling angry for being ripped off by a Delhi rickshaw driver and then in the next moment being invited by strangers to join them in their home for an Indian banquet - being humbled by their generosity of spirit and a feeling of warmth that brings a smile to your face.

Yes, it’s a weird and wonderful place!

Photo Credit: Steve McCurry

In a world of duality it is often the worst in humanity that brings out the best. An unpredictable event when you least expect it - find yourself confronted with such a powerful emotion that slaps you in the face and wakes you up so that you view the world in a new light.

India provides this catalyst for me - a chance for self-exploration, to seek questions to the meaning of life, to welcome change and decide how I want to live, and along the way maybe inspire others.

It is why India, with all its challenges, is the best destination for me. I know it will test my boundaries and I will need to rise above the daily challenges - to take the good with the bad.

It will be an opportunity for self-exploration and no doubt pose many questions - that probably won't all be answered - a time to ponder and reflect. It is these moments that I hope will be the most rewarding.